I am planning on going in the yard later this month primarily to paint
the top sides (later I will author a long, forlorn, story about how
not to paint a boat) but for now am wondering what anti fouling paint
to use. The boat has, probably 15 years of anti fouling accumulation
on the bottom so this year we are going to scrape it all off and start
new.

I have been using Jotun commercial (for barges) bottom paint for years
(the kind with TBT in it) and have been getting about 5 years out of
it. But now that TBT based paints are no longer available I am
debating what to use.

At the moment there seem to be three choices (1) Jotun self polishing
paint in various grades depending on boat speed; (2) Chugoku self
polishing, again in different grades and (3) a copper and epoxy mix
that used to be called "CopperBot" but I now believe has a different
name, that is supposed to last ten years or more.

Now, to cut to the chase. Does anybody have actual experience with
current anti fouling paints in tropical waters?

P.S. do not suggest adding TBT to an existing anti fouling paint as a
number of friends have tried that route with extremely variable
results ranging from the paint never hardening to the paint not
sticking. One or two have had good results but the variation from boat
to boat does not seem to fit any pattern. One guy says he mixes ten
percent TBT and it works; another claimed to use 3 percent and the
paint didn't harden.....

Anyone with actual experience that can give me some good advise?


Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)